122 6-2 Hot spring town Utopola The power of sweetness

After my dealings with Yuki-san were over, I decided to go prepare for my appointment in the afternoon.

I had invited Yuki-san to join us, but she refused, perhaps because she has a mercantile nature or she just needs to finish her business properly.

Now, Hayato has given his permission, is everyone ready to go?

""Yes!"

In front of me are the maids who work in this mansion.

Some of them are in civilian clothes, but they were probably on holiday today.

You can't be afraid of sweetness, since you come even on your day off.

''Before that, let's thank Freed.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " Mr. Fried!　Thank you!

No, no. Please thank our guests. Also, thank Hayato-sama for allowing me to do this.

""Yes!"　Thank you!

No, no. Well, then, everybody, enjoy. Eat as much as you like.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

Each of the maids rushed out at once to eat the pudding they had their eyes on.

Holding a small spoon, they scooped up the pudding as if they couldn't wait, and the sight of them enjoying it with their eyes closed is a joy to see as a creator.

But there's a lot of it, so I don't think there's any need to be in such a hurry.

Everyone looks so good eating it.

Sweetness is a rare treat. Even the aristocrats have never tasted sweetness, and they were looking forward to it.

That's a relief. Whoa. For Fried.

I'm....

'You want to try it?　I'm proud of it.

Are you green?

''That's right. I made this pudding out of something I bought from the Amatkuni people earlier, and I thought it would be fine for Freed.

I tasted it earlier and it was excellent.

Bittersweet, but it doesn't lose its sweetness.

And more importantly, it went perfectly with the red bean paste on top.

It's called matcha pudding. I'll bring it to Hayato later, so we'll have a taste first.

'I see.... I see. I will be happy to ask you to be my taster.

No, well, there's no need to be so ostentatious about it.

I've taught Chris how to make it, and if Hayato and Freed like it, there will be a lot of things that will come up in the future.

''Hoho........ It's slightly bitter, isn't it?''

Yeah. It's good again with that black stuff on top.

This is also the bean paste that I bought from Yuki.

After all, if you're looking for matcha pudding, you'd have to go with bean paste rather than caramel sauce.

Oh....!　This one seems to be better for me. It's very tasty.

Okay.

Even though I'm not a fan of sweetness, I thought this would be a good choice, and I guess I was right.

The matcha flavor is still great.

'Oh, and also, but this time it's not in return for Freed, it's in return for the maids who have increased their duties by borrowing Freed. I'll prepare something else for Freed separately.

No, no, no...

Hey, come on! I'd like to return the favor to Fried, if that's okay with you.

I still want to do something for Freed, after all.

The truth is, if it weren't for Fried's help, I wouldn't have been able to make it in time, so....

I want to repay my overflowing gratitude.

Well then, if there's anything I can ask of you........

'Oh!　There's only so much I can do, but whatever I can do, I'll do it!

You're very perceptive and helpful.

It's that butler you're so good at. He's very sensitive to human subtleties.

"Ah!　Master Freed, he's eating something yummy!

Green?　Is that a pudding too?

It seems that the dazzling maids are also interested in the pudding that Freed has.

When I made eye contact with Freed, I smiled and let out a breath while smiling, and decided to serve the maids some matcha pudding as well.

All of the pudding that I had prepared so much had been flattened.

Baked pudding, pudding a la mode. And we even prepared a pudding parfait and, of course, a bucket of pudding, and that's all there was to it.

All the empty plates on the table had been eaten up so neatly that not a single piece was missing.

They seemed to regret the last part, but when I told Chris that I had taught them how to make it, so there would be a chance to eat it again, they all looked radiant.

The maids who were returning to their duties thanked me and offered to do the washing up, but I politely declined, as I was thanking them for their help, including cleaning up.

And now I'm taking a break from eating matcha pudding for myself by myself.

Ah, the bittersweet matcha tea and the sweetness of the red bean paste.

And the smooth texture and smoothness of the pudding accentuates the good aftertaste of the matcha.

Hayato would be satisfied with this.

I taught Chris how to make it, and Hayato bought some matcha, so he should be able to eat it whenever he wants.

But sweets are expensive to begin with, and matcha and red bean paste are even more expensive.......

To be honest, it's going to be more trouble for them to become the snacks of the aristocracy, so I reject it.

And if you look at the earnings alone, accessories are higher, so there's no need to force yourself, well, if the opportunity arises, you might consider selling them just then.

I put a small spoonful into the matcha pudding I had finished eating with a crunch, and as I stood up to put it away, I heard a knock at the door.

''Ha--''

I'm coming in. Hmm?　That's a sweet smell!

Before I could reply, Iris and Ayame came in.

''Yeah, I was just serving pudding to the maids.

'Pudding.........is that what you got the last time?'

Yeah, yeah. New stuff and everything. ........uh, do you want some?

No, no. I'm not a...

No, no.

I didn't miss staring at my empty plate for a few seconds, did I?

I activated my spatial magic and stuck my arm into nothingness and took out two puddings.

It's actually for a souvenir for the maids, but we can make more later.

''That skill........is that spatial magic?''

Yeah. As you can see, it's spatial magic.

I knew that they would have found out at the earliest point in that game.

I knew that the knowledgeable Ayame-san would know.

I knew it. It was hard work, you know. The sorcerer's guild is trying to attack you in the name of recruiting.

...Really?

Mm. Yes, but don't worry. Your rights have been won by the straw.

...No, you're not worried about that?

I mean, don't decide people's rights without permission........

''I don't even want to tighten it up when I say I've won my rights. Well, as long as you offer me an ice cream when I want it, that's all that matters.

It's a pretty lighthearted thing to say, but it must have been pretty hard to see Ayame's expression of bitterness.

That's right. It's spatial magic.....

''I guess that's what you want now.

You know what you're talking about.

'Yes. Then I'll serve it up, and you two can have some pudding first.

'Mmm!　Because the pudding was good too!　But it's a blur before a bowl of ice cream!　

Really, how much do you like ice cream?

Well, it looks like you've put in a lot of work, so let's just be quiet and serve you today.

And we have just the latest products.

It's really good......... I wish I could feed those kids as well, but........

Huh? Can I bring you something to take home?

If I'm going to make it later anyway, it won't be much of a hassle.

Besides, if I can get those girls to like me here, the fluffy paradise of my dreams might not be far away.

''Are you sure?''

Yeah. But there's only one for each of you.

Yes, that's quite all right. Thank you.

Oh.

It's embarrassing to be thanked with a normal smile.

If it were for those kids, I'd be tempted to prepare them endlessly, but that would defeat the purpose of thanking the maids.

Well then, it's done now.

'Oh!　Two!　There are two on board!

Yeah, Iris seems to like vanilla ice cream. And this one's a custard ice cream. And...

I took out the caramel sauce.

It was like pouring custard ice cream over a pudding.

I thought this would be the perfect dish for Iris, who loves ice cream, and Ayame, who loves pudding.

'Hoah........happy........'

Really?　That's good.

He sits face to face and observes her with his cheekbones, but he's really cute and childlike when he's eating.

Ayame tries to keep her composure, but she can't hide the fact that the edges of her mouth are loose.

''........What?''

No, it's just a pleasant sight.

''Well I'm not too impressed with the way you stare at people eating.

Okay?　It's like I'm making this for fun.

That's right, Ayame. Don't worry about what people think!　Now you must concentrate on the treasure in front of you!

And Iris is a single-minded eater.

Uh-oh. You have caramel sauce on your cheeks.

"You don't eat it?

'Cause I ate something else. I don't want to eat any more sweets in the quicksand...

'Nah!　Another one!　I'm sorry.

Master Iris, your mouth is...

Hmmm!　I'm curious to see what's going on!

Iris finished eating and put her spoon down, and she can't seem to contain her curiosity even as Ayame wipes her mouth.

Even before her favorite sweetness, isn't Iris a little infantilized?

''Okay yes. Well then, I'll bring it out when I'm done with the main topic.

Hmm.... What's that? You noticed.

'Well, I don't think you're going to come along for no reason,'

You wanna get some ice cream?

'Well that's true too. So you're just here for the ice cream then?

'No. I've come to relieve your anxiety.

''When you say you're worried, you're a duke. From what you said earlier, you're saying that since you put me under Iris' protection, it's not a problem?

Hmmm. That's not a problem in the short term. Well, in the long run, it won't be a problem.

Long-term ... root cause solution?

I suppose so. I can't tell you that.

The root, that would be the existence of a duke.

When it comes to the solution to that........

I see. So that man has made up his mind.

To be honest, I'm not interested in whatever the content is if there are no problems left.

And, thank God, that guy, what is he going to do with his wife?

At any rate, you don't have to worry about anything. You can continue on with your life as usual.

Okay. Just be sure to tell him thank you.

Yeah. Understood. Another sweetener, then!

It was probably Iris's concern that changed the air in an instant.

For me, I don't have any particular feelings about it.

It was largely out of my business.

But I couldn't help but worry about Sarah, who would be left behind.

"...don't worry about it.

What?

Master Iris will take care of everything. You don't need to think about anything else.

Perhaps sensing my heart, Ayame follows up with me.

'Mm. You are a little too kind, you know. You may rest assured of that as well.

'Well yeah, okay. Thanks for everything Iris, too.

'Mmm!　I can't even eat good ice cream without you!

Ha, it's ice cream after all.

Well, that's okay, though.

Now, then, let's get my hoard out of the way.

I don't know if you'll have a stomach ache from eating too much.